Scan barcode
adityasundar's reviews
238 reviews
The Savior's Champion by Jenna Moreci
3.0
TSC was a bittersweet read. I'm a fan of Jenna's YT channel; her videos motivate me to write every-day. So, going into this, I had great expectations. While the book was definitely enjoyable, I felt the plot wasn't explored to its fullest. Now, this could be because the sequel, The Savior's Sisters, is supposed to be the "other side" of the same story- probably why there was a ton of unanswered questions. However, I still expected some form of closure (besides knowing who becomes the Champion) by the end of TSC which was sadly lacking.
The romance was healthy and a medium burn. But the word "love" gets thrown around which struck me as too quick for two people who have known each other only for a few weeks. I did find it jarring that almost everyone in Thessen and the countries around it swear. It didn't matter if you were a royal, noble-man/woman or a commoner. You just swore your face off. Not that I found the swearing annoying (maybe that's really how the people of that world spoke), but it would've made the world more interesting if the royals/nobility (supposedly educated) had a refined and prudish tongue while the commoners like Tobias remained casual and crude.
While there were details hinting at the world towards the last 100 pages, they could've been included sooner in the plot. Perhaps, certain challenges reminded Tobias about his past or someplace he'd been to. There were at least 6-8 scenes which opened with Tobias waking up, and every single time, he was always the last to wake up, the other contestants groomed and ready while he stumbled out of his bed/tent. Just something I found weird. These redundant scene openers could have been made diverse by having Tobias dream about some place he had been to with his best friend or family (before the accident). Yes, Tobias barely stepped out of his village, but there would be at least one place he would have visited (?) Alternatively, Flynn, Enzo or Orion could have taught us about the culture of the world. Just some ways in which the richness of the world could have been slid in without info-dumping. We didn't get much of Delphi or Pippa (my favorite characters), but I understand they would have more role in TSS.
The real meat of the story (the "big picture") drops only in the last 20 pages or so. The magic system here is extremely soft (to the point you wonder why it wasn't used more often to avoid some very avoidable situations, possibly even some challenges in the tournament). Some explanation as to the limitations/rules of the Savior's magic/blessing would have given more depth and clarity.
While some challenges were interesting (especially the rose, the keys), they ended too quickly; some were even conveniently resolved in a page or so. It gave Tobias the "Gary Stu" effect which I know wasn't the intention. The middle portion of the book lacked any interesting events/surprises/plot twists to keep me engaged. It was a monotonous ride with mostly just one challenge after the next and Tobias and Leila talking about something which didn't add much to the plot or their characterization. I still could get through it, but my reading had slowed down until I got to the climax. I also didn't root for the bad guys to lose and Tobias to win. Those characters who got some form of backstory died/left in the next scene, as if the backstory was dropped there to get readers to feel shocked/sad for them or shed a tear. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me.
Overall, the story was great and I'll definitely be going for TSS when it comes out (mainly to know the answers to all those questions I have + to know more about Delphi and Pippa). It could've been better if some challenges were removed, the romance was slowed down further, and more focus was given to the big picture/politics of the realm.
The romance was healthy and a medium burn. But the word "love" gets thrown around which struck me as too quick for two people who have known each other only for a few weeks. I did find it jarring that almost everyone in Thessen and the countries around it swear. It didn't matter if you were a royal, noble-man/woman or a commoner. You just swore your face off. Not that I found the swearing annoying (maybe that's really how the people of that world spoke), but it would've made the world more interesting if the royals/nobility (supposedly educated) had a refined and prudish tongue while the commoners like Tobias remained casual and crude.
While there were details hinting at the world towards the last 100 pages, they could've been included sooner in the plot. Perhaps, certain challenges reminded Tobias about his past or someplace he'd been to. There were at least 6-8 scenes which opened with Tobias waking up, and every single time, he was always the last to wake up, the other contestants groomed and ready while he stumbled out of his bed/tent. Just something I found weird. These redundant scene openers could have been made diverse by having Tobias dream about some place he had been to with his best friend or family (before the accident). Yes, Tobias barely stepped out of his village, but there would be at least one place he would have visited (?) Alternatively, Flynn, Enzo or Orion could have taught us about the culture of the world. Just some ways in which the richness of the world could have been slid in without info-dumping. We didn't get much of Delphi or Pippa (my favorite characters), but I understand they would have more role in TSS.
The real meat of the story (the "big picture") drops only in the last 20 pages or so. The magic system here is extremely soft (to the point you wonder why it wasn't used more often to avoid some very avoidable situations, possibly even some challenges in the tournament). Some explanation as to the limitations/rules of the Savior's magic/blessing would have given more depth and clarity.
While some challenges were interesting (especially the rose, the keys), they ended too quickly; some were even conveniently resolved in a page or so. It gave Tobias the "Gary Stu" effect which I know wasn't the intention. The middle portion of the book lacked any interesting events/surprises/plot twists to keep me engaged. It was a monotonous ride with mostly just one challenge after the next and Tobias and Leila talking about something which didn't add much to the plot or their characterization. I still could get through it, but my reading had slowed down until I got to the climax. I also didn't root for the bad guys to lose and Tobias to win. Those characters who got some form of backstory died/left in the next scene, as if the backstory was dropped there to get readers to feel shocked/sad for them or shed a tear. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me.
Overall, the story was great and I'll definitely be going for TSS when it comes out (mainly to know the answers to all those questions I have + to know more about Delphi and Pippa). It could've been better if some challenges were removed, the romance was slowed down further, and more focus was given to the big picture/politics of the realm.